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Buy the book A Higher Branch

A Blueprint for living a happy and successful life in the 21st Century.

A Higher Branch is a charming fable written by Sam Makhoul that will live in your heart forever. It will take you on a journey where you will discover a fearlessness you were born with. It will empower you in a way that makes living a happy and successful life seem effortless, and it will do it so easily, leaving you wondering where this wisdom has been hidden all these years.

People are calling it “A blueprint for living a complete and happy life in the 21st Century.”

Why I wrote the Book?

“A Higher Branch” is a book that I was born to write. I poured my heart and soul into it because I wrote it as a life-guide for my three children. I wanted them to grow up to be happy, healthy, prosperous, successful, smart, fun, charitable, loving and loved. But as I wrote it and shared the message with others, I was amazed at how it resonated and stuck in their memory, even after just one conversation. I had friends, colleagues and clients recount the principles to me with ease and telling me how they initiated changes in their life, all from a simple discussion. (I started imagining the results they could achieve if they’d actually read the book.) I was receiving text messages with comments like, “I have not climbed the tree of family enough this week.” or “I am following the pattern of thinking you told me about. It’s amazing!”

The more I heard such feedback, the more I believed that the book had the potential to be a blueprint for living a complete and happy life in the 21st Century. I humbly share this book and its story with you in the hope that it will change your life, like it did mine.

What this book will do for you.

There are eight areas of our life that make up our unique identity. They complete us. A Higher Branch will guide you in each of these areas:

HEALTH: It will reveal to you the two secrets to good health and guide you to the true source of immense physical energy.

LOVE: It will show you how to love and be loved in a way that makes life passionate and exciting.

FAMILY: It will show you how to foster unconditional love and support among all family members. If you have children, it will help you connect with them and in turn help you to relive the wonder of childhood.

WORK: You will learn seven lessons on how to work with passion and purpose in a career that adds value to others and brings you joy.

WEALTH: It will show you where to invest your time, energy and money so you can have the best wealth imaginable and the freedom to live life on your own terms.

LEARNING: You will develop self-awareness and a curiosity that makes learning effortless and enjoyable. It will keep your mind sharp and focused.

FRIENDSHIP: You will become a fun-loving person who attracts positive friendships that bring you joy and laughter.

CHARITY: You will learn empathy on a level that helps you connect with others in need. You will learn to be charitable in a way that brings you immense positive energy.

What is so special about the book?

It is a fable filled with unforgettable stories that will live in your heart forever. The unique lessons you learn will transform your thinking.

It contains a wisdom that has shaped my whole life; by giving me a daily guide to follow and a powerful pattern of thinking that hard‐wires me for happiness and achievement. To say that it has changed my life is an understatement. It is my life! And has been since I was eight years of age. It has helped me be:

A healthy and energetic person

A loving partner

A supportive father

A fun and exciting friend

An inspirational leader

A visionary entrepreneur and

An empathetic and charitable member of society.

I experienced a number of struggles and setbacks throughout my life, most of which were thrust upon me. In 1973 my family fled the civil war in Lebanon in circumstances that were not pleasant. I share this with you to demonstrate the point that no one is born into a perfect set of circumstances. Like many, I lived with fears and insecurities. But despite these challenges, I have been blessed with a life full of love, contentment and purpose. More than I ever imagined possible.

Why?

The answer is simple. And it is revealed to you in “A Higher Branch“.

Eating the fruit on the highest branch in life is not what brings ultimate satisfaction. Sure, it gives you a brief sense of achievement, but it is the simple act of constant climbing that gives meaning and lasting happiness.

What most people call depression is sometimes nothing more than stagnation of the human spirit. This affliction does not discriminate. Whether you are rich or poor, upper class or middle class, third world or first world, if you cease to climb higher, you will lose your way in life. If, however, you choose to keep climbing, happiness and satisfaction will not discriminate either. You will be happy no matter your circumstances.

The real secret comes in knowing what areas of your life to climb and how to climb them.

That is what the story reveals. And it does so in a magical way that is hard to forget.

They say that the best camera is the one you have on you. Well this is what “A Higher Branch” is like. You will find that the lessons learned in the story will come to you when you most need them and whenever you are faced with a particular challenge in your daily life. That’s what makes it so effective.

About the book

A Higher Branch is a fable that will take you on a journey where you will discover a fearlessness that you were born with.

It’s a story about an eight-year-old boy, Tom, who loves to climb trees. One day he goes into the woods and loses his way home. There he meets a mysteriously familiar wise old man who guides him back home by sharing with him the story of his own life and the imperative lessons he has learned along the way.

The fable serves as a simple metaphor for how some people lose their way in life but choose to do nothing about it. Being lost is a terrifying experience for a child, but as adults we sometimes accept this as a normal way of life. We forget that we have a choice to make and often don’t know what action to take. We are never given a guide to follow. So we drift along aimlessly.

In the story, the young boy Tom is given that simple guide by the old man who shows him the wisdom to be found in each of the eight areas of life: health, love, family, work, friendship, learning, wealth and charity. The old man then teaches Tom to develop a partnership between his heart and his mind that hard-wires him for success. He also teaches him to master a pattern of thinking that is impenetrable to the chaos and negativity of the outside world.

Just as Tom becomes equipped with the knowledge and wisdom for finding his way home, you as the reader will be provoked by two confronting questions: If you could go back and guide yourself as a little boy or girl, what lessons would you teach? More poignantly, would that little boy or girl be happy with the life you are living right now?

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“I thoroughly enjoyed A Higher Branch. I am now living my life by the eight trees and the circle of positive thinking.”

Sandy Aitkenhead, QLD, Australia

“A Higher Branch has changed my attitude for the better. I have seen positive changes almost instantly in areas of my life that I have been neglecting. I absolutely loved the book. I have recommended it to my closest friends and family.”

Scott Dalton – Real Estate Agent, Sydney Australia

“A Higher branch has definitely had a positive impact on my life. It embraces the values that are close to my heart and provides a practical framework for leading a happier life. It was not only inspiring and thought-provoking, it was action-provoking! It is this type of philosophy that the world needs right now.”

Mark Lehane, Sydney, Australia

“This story has helped me rediscover who I am and where I want to be. I have read it three times. Please thank Sam for his wonderful creation. It is beautifully written.”

Leeanne Dixon, Glenwood, NSW.

“I love this book. It encompasses everything. It’s complete. It’s simple. You need to get it into the mainstream bookshops as I think it will help so many people.”

Claudia Mazzotta, QLD, Australia.

“A Higher Branch is a breath of fresh air. The message is powerful and the results have been nothing short of remarkable.”

Paul Agnew, Managing Partner, McKays Solicitors – Brisbane Australia.

“Chapter 8 of Sam’s book is compulsory reading for anyone serious about business excellence and wealth creation.”

“I am pleased that your book caught my eye…. I couldn’t put the book down. I found the story of the boy and the old man very easy to read while the concept of the eight trees engrossing…. When talking to people about “balance” I have floundered to describe exactly what I mean. The eight trees jumped out at me and cleared the fog.

The concept of climbing has me dreaming bigger than ever hoping to encourage women to take an active part in moving their lives forward towards a happier, healthier and brighter future. It is never too late to make positive changes and I am keen to share your book with my young adult children and anyone who will listen as your book resonated with me in a remarkable way.”

Karen Smith – Midwife – Melbourne, Australia.

“You actually saved my life in more ways that you can imagine. Since I have read your book I have lost 6 kilos, I have cleaned out closets and most of all I took a long hard look in the mirror and got my strength back. I’m going to look for work now – I’m moving forward!

…. you have achieved what my psychologist has been trying to achieve for months with no success. Thanks to you I have become a better mother, a better friend, a better person.

…… I feel like a person with cancer who has been fully cured. How do you repay someone that has given your life back? ….. Sam Makhoul you are my Angel. I thank you. My kids thank you. My family thanks you!

Where did the inspiration come from?

My ultimate inspiration for writing ‘A Higher Branch’ came from my childhood experiences growing up on my grandmother’s farm in Lebanon. I loved to climb trees as a boy and was often found wandering the meadow climbing fig and olive trees. I also loved to explore the branches of one particular mulberry tree that grew at the front of her cottage.

I had a strong urge to climb as a boy. It gave me a sense of purpose, achievement, strength and freedom. From these feelings I developed a confidence and a belief in my abilities to do just about anything I wanted to in life. When I was not climbing trees I would spend my time following my grandmother around the farm watching her tend to her vegetable garden or baking mountain bread. I was a very curious child with many questions about life, love, people, the world we lived in and what I wanted to be when I grew up.

My grandmother satisfied this curiosity by telling me stories of what my life will be like when I grew into a man. She would relate to me the challenges that I would face along the way and she identified the lessons that I must learn to live a complete and happy life. She would do this by telling me stories about my grandfather, who died before I was born.

Is this story only for men?

On the contrary, the stories in A Higher Branch were inspired by my grandmother, ‘Rose’. It was on her mulberry tree that I reached for my first branch. As I wrote the book, I pictured what she would teach my daughter Amelia if she were alive today. This is how I was able to write with a universal perspective that could be fittingly applied to both men and women.

Free e-Book “Applying the Principles in A Higher Branch“

I wrote A Higher Branch as a fable because that is how I learned as a child and that’s how I taught my children. Stories live in our heart. They are unforgettable. But I have also produced a non-fiction follow-up eBook as a practical guide to the principles contained in A Higher Branch. It is the practical application of the principles espoused and one that motivates decisive and specific action. It contains easy to follow tips (what I call Life-Guides) and worksheets that will give you a daily action plan. After 30 days you will not even need the eBook. The method is so simple and so empowering that it will become etched in your heart and mind.

The eBook will be available shortly for download – just sign up to my monthly newsletter (located top right of this page) called “Climb Higher” and you will get an email notification for when it’s available. It is complimentary to those who have purchased A Higher Branch.

A Higher Branch Journal

Very soon I will be making available for purchase, a leather-bound journal that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It is inspired by chapter 12 of A Higher Branch, where the wise old man shares with young Tom a unique structure of journaling that is simple, uncomplicated but very powerful. I have used it my whole life and I am glad to be making it available publicly. It works.

This unique journal is designed as the ultimate guide to collecting your thoughts and feelings. It will truly become a sanctuary for your heart and mind.